He looked into her clear eyes, and his heart softened momentarily, though his tone remained stiff. "Let's go then." He took her hand, opened the car door, and they got in.
He Siyu suddenly remembered something. "By the way, we have to attend a wedding banquet this Saturday."
"What wedding banquet?"
"The Qi family's."
The Qi family had some business collaborations with him, so it was necessary for him to attend.
Sang Ning tilted her head slightly. The Qi family?
He Siyu reminded her, "It's Qi Ze, the one marrying Zhan Yijun."
Sang Ning was taken aback. Zhan Yijun was getting married already?
After the acquisition of the Chen Family, she hadn’t kept up with Zhan Yijun’s affairs. She hadn’t expected her to marry so soon.
---
On Saturday, Sang Ning and He Siyu attended the wedding banquet of Qi Ze and Zhan Yijun.
The banquet was held at Fanyue Grand Hotel. At eleven o'clock, they arrived by car.
"Sang Ning! Over here!"
As soon as Sang Ning entered the banquet hall, she saw Ji Yan waving at her excitedly.
"Xiao Yan." Sang Ning let go of He Siyu’s hand and happily walked over.
He Siyu’s lips pressed into a straight line. His fingers, suddenly empty, curled slightly before he tucked them into his pocket.
"Hey, He Siyu, you’re here!" Gu Xingchen, holding a wine glass while chatting with someone, spotted him and greeted him with a laugh.
He Siyu glanced at him, noticing the flush on his face. "Something good happen to you?"
"What good could happen to me? I’m just idling around, nothing compared to you, newlywed and all." Gu Xingchen sighed dramatically.
Seeing the obvious smugness in his eyes, He Siyu didn’t bother pressing further. With a scoff, he picked up a glass of wine and took a sip.
Gu Xingchen patted his shoulder. "Brother, I’m genuinely happy for your marriage."
"Get lost."
---
"Xiao Yan, is your cold better?" Sang Ning asked, holding Ji Yan’s hand.
Ji Yan’s eyes flickered unnaturally for a moment before she laughed it off. "Oh, it was just a little chill—I’m fine now!"
Sang Ning gave her a suspicious look. "Xiao Yan, are you hiding something from me?"
Something was off about her.
Ji Yan widened her eyes, insisting, "No! What could I possibly hide? I just drank too much because I was upset about your marriage, caught a chill, that’s all! Nothing’s wrong!"
Sang Ning: "..."
That sounded a little too defensive...
Before Sang Ning could press further, Ji Yan abruptly changed the subject.
Ji Yan tugged at her excitedly. "I’ll tell you what—today’s going to be interesting! I just saw Chen Zheng and Nan Siya arrive!"
Sang Ning was surprised. "Chen Zheng is here too?"
How bold of him.
The affair between Zhan Yijun and Chen Zheng was anything but honorable.
"Sister, you’re here too?" Nan Siya’s sickly sweet voice suddenly rang out. Sang Ning and Ji Yan turned to see Nan Siya walking over, arm-in-arm with Chen Zheng.
Nan Siya wore a pale pink strapless chiffon dress, her hair styled in a princess updo, her smile saccharine. Beside her, Chen Zheng was dressed in a sharp suit, but his face looked haggard. Whether he had lost weight or not, the suit hung loosely on him, as if he couldn’t quite fill it out.
Ji Yan shuddered at Nan Siya’s smile—it was unsettling.
Sang Ning glanced at Nan Siya. "You came to Zhan Yijun’s wedding?"
Nan Siya beamed. "Of course not me—it was Zheng gege who wanted to come. Zhan Yijun is his closest friend—how could he not attend?"
She turned to Chen Zheng. "Right, Zheng gege?"
Chen Zheng’s gaze wavered before he stiffly replied, "Yes."
Ji Yan gulped, turning to Sang Ning with wide-eyed shock.
Sang Ning, however, was unfazed by their petty drama. She simply warned in a cool voice, "Don’t cause trouble."
If the scandal between Zhan Yijun and Chen Zheng were to explode, it shouldn’t be the Nan family setting it off—they’d only end up stained in the fallout.
Chen Zheng nodded repeatedly. "Young Miss Nan is right."
He glanced fearfully at Nan Siya. At this point, the only one who could rein in this madwoman was Nan Sang Ning.
Nan Siya’s smile twisted eerily. "Of course not. Zheng gege’s friends are my friends. My heart is full of nothing but blessings."
If the affair between Chen Zheng and Zhan Yijun were exposed, it would mean the end of her marriage to Chen Zheng.
How could she let them off so easily?
Zhan Yijun, standing beside Qi Ze to greet guests, paled when she spotted Nan Siya and Chen Zheng.
Why were they here?!
She wanted to avoid them, but Qi Ze, noticing Sang Ning, immediately approached to greet her politely. "Mrs. He, you’ve arrived."
Only then did Sang Ning recognize Qi Ze beside Zhan Yijun. "Mr. Qi, congratulations."
Having attended Sang Ning and He Siyu’s wedding, Qi Ze recognized Nan Sang Ning easily.
He said warmly, "I heard Yijun is quite familiar with all of you."
Ji Yan smirked, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, we’re very familiar."
Zhan Yijun shot her a glare.
Qi Ze spotted He Siyu nearby and quickly patted Zhan Yijun’s hand. "Then you entertain Mrs. He and Mrs. Gu. I’ll go greet General Manager He."
Zhan Yijun forced a smile. "Of course."
Only after Qi Ze left did her smile fade.
She turned to Nan Siya, eyes blazing with anger. "What are you doing here?"
Nan Siya smiled sweetly. "To congratulate you on your wedding, of course. Zheng gege has been your friend for so many years—he should personally wish you well. And since he’s here, I had to come too."
Ji Yan rubbed her arms, whispering to Sang Ning, "What’s wrong with Nan Siya? She’s terrifying."
Sang Ning glanced at Nan Siya. "She seems fine."
Honestly, she looked more normal now than during her obsessive, lovesick phase.
Nan Siya chirped, "Zheng gege, why aren’t you saying anything? Isn’t Miss Zhan your best friend? Shouldn’t you personally wish her happiness on her big day?"
Chen Zheng’s expression darkened, his patience wearing thin. "Nan Siya, have you had enough?!"
Nan Siya’s smile turned icy. "What? Am I being unreasonable again? Do you want a divorce now?"
Chen Zheng’s face twisted in suppressed fury before he forced out, "That’s… not what I meant..."
The Chen Family’s survival now depended on the Nan family. What he was protecting wasn’t his marriage—it was everything he still had.
Nan Siya clung to his arm, her smile sweet once more. "Then hurry up and wish Miss Zhan well."
Chen Zheng muttered weakly, "Wishing you a happy marriage… and everlasting love."
Zhan Yijun’s face darkened. Nan Siya knew exactly what had happened between her and Chen Zheng—she was here to humiliate her!
Zhan Yijun sneered, "Who do you think you are? A fake, daring to strut around in front of me?"
Nan Siya’s smile froze, her face twisting into something ghastly.
Through gritted teeth, she hissed, "I am the Nan family’s recognized Second Miss."
Zhan Yijun scoffed. "A counterfeit, and yet so delusional. You think I care about you—or even the Nan family?"
Nan Siya trembled with rage, her eyes red as she looked at Sang Ning. "Sister, say something!"
